Panama Canal Expansion—Houston Maritime Injury Lawyer

In 2006, the Panamanian government authorized expansion of its famed Canal. Construction began in 2007. The goal of the expansion project is to double the Canal’s maritime capacity by 2016.

The Canal Expansion Project

As the Panamanian government has explained:

“The Panama Canal Expansion is the largest project at the Canal since its original construction. The project will create a new lane of traffic along the Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, doubling the waterway’s capacity. The existing locks allow the passage of vessels that can carry up to 5,000 TEUs. After the expansion the Post-Panamax vessels will be able to transit through the Canal, with up to 13,000/14,000 TEUs. The Expansion will double the Canal’s capacity, having a direct impact on economies of scale and international maritime trade.”

“The Panama Canal expansion is based on six years of research, which included more than 100 studies on the economic feasibility, market demand, environmental impact and other technical engineering aspects. Works on the Panama Canal Expansion began on September 2007 at a total cost of US $5.2 billion.”

The maiden voyage through the expanded Canal is slated for June 26, 2016.

The components of the Canal expansion project include:

New Locks (Third Set of Locks)

Pacific Access Channel

Improvement of Navigational Channels (Dredging)

Improvements to Water Supply

New Locks

The original Canal has two lanes, each with its own locks that lift ships 85 feet to the main elevation level of the Canal. Each lock system is nearly 2 miles long.

The expansion includes two new sets of locks, one on the Pacific Ocean side, and one on the Atlantic Ocean side.

Pacific Access Channel

The new Pacific channel connects the Culebra Cut valley with the new, third set of Canal locks.

49 million cubic meters of material had to be excavated to construct the Pacific Access Channel.

There are two new access channels that connect the new Pacific-side locks with the existing channels—the 3.9 mile north access channel, and the 1.1 mile south access channel.

Water Supply Improvements

The new Canal locks have water-saving basis that reduce the amount of water needed during lock operation.

The water saving basins divide the lock chamber into five equal “slices.”

When an operation begins, the chamber is filled once from Gatun Lake.

When the chamber is emptied, the top three slices are emptied into three basins at progressively lower elevation. Thus, water slice one is emptied using valves and gravity into a basin that is the same level as slice 2, slice 2 is emptied into a basin the level of slice 3, and slice 3 is emptied into a base at slice 4 level.

Water slices 4 and 5 empty into the next lock chamber and are lost.

After the ship is moved upward and the chamber is closed, water from basin 4 fills slice 5, basin 3 fills level 4, and basin 2 fills level 3. Levels 2 and 2 are filled from Lake Gatun.

As a result of this savings mechanism, only 12 feet of water are lost instead of 30 feet over the chamber area.

Dredging The Panama Canal

The Canal will be dredged to widen and deepen it.

In addition to the Pacific Access Channel changes outlined above, a 2 mile access channel was excavated to connect the new Atlantic locks with the existing channels.

The new channels are more than 715 wide, which will allow Post-Panamax vessels to navigate through in a single direction. Post-Panamax vessels include supertankers and the largest modern container and passenger ships, which previously could not travel through the Canal.

Gatun Lake is also being raised 1.5 feet to provide 165,000,000 gallons of additional water per day.

What Size Vessels Can The Expanded Panama Canal Accommodate?

The new Canal will be able to accommodate vessels that are 1201 feet long and carrying 120,000 Deadweight tonnage (DWT) in weight. Previously, the Canal could only accommodate 950 foot vessels and 52,500 DWT.

Maritime Injury Attorneys at Morrow & Sheppard Can Assist

The Canal expansion will inevitably lead to more traffic in the maritime, train and rail, and trucking arenas. Unfortunately this will, in turn, lead to more accidents and injuries.

The transportation injury lawyers at Morrow & Sheppard assist victims of vessel, train, and 18 wheeler incidents nationwide. If you or a loved one needs help, please call us at 1-800-489-2216 for a free consultation. It would be our privilege to discuss your case for free in a confidential setting.

Sign Up For Our Personal Injury Newsletter

Stay up-to-date! Subscribe to our newsletter to learn about personal injury law, how it works, and protecting your legal rights. You'll receive free legal advice and links to helpful resources. Simply fill out the form below to get started.

Nick Morrow and John Sheppard are the best. I was paralyzed in a work injury. Several other lawyers turned down my case. Morrow & Sheppard hired expensive experts, took dozens of depositions, and proved my case. I saw them in court against a team of defense lawyers, and the defense lawyers didn’t stand a chance. Morrow & Sheppard took my case all the way when nobody else would. Now my family is set up for life. Throughout the process, they kept me updated and made me feel like I was more than a number. I still talk to Nick to this day. Morrow & Sheppard exceeded my expectations in every way, and I cannot recommend them enough. If you are injured at work, call Morrow & Sheppard.

John Sheppard and Nick Morrow were two of the brightest stars in my law school class and my class of lawyers at Fulbright & Jaworski, one of the most elite and prestigious law firms in Houston and Texas. I have known both of them for well over a decade now and throughout that time they have both always lived up to the highest standards of intellect, tenacity, and professionalism. They are both winners. If you need a Houston lawyer who will stand up for your rights and get you the justice you deserve, I wholeheartedly recommend Morrow & Sheppard.

John Sheppard, with Morrow & Sheppard LLP, is brilliant. On more than one occasion, he successfully represented various affiliated companies I was part of. John is very diligent, thorough and fights hard for righteousness. There were numerous times that he helped us through extremely difficult moments. John is very professional, responsive and respectful. I highly endorse Morrow and Sheppard LLP for legal representation and/or legal assistance needs.

My experience with John, at Morrow and Sheppard, during my company’s litigation was better than I could have imagined (considering the circumstances of being involved in litigation). What stood out to me the most, was John’s tenacity in preparation. I later realized this came from two places, one he didn’t want to lose and two (and most importantly) he CARED so much about me getting justice. I cannot stress this enough, when you are dealing with a lawyer that truly cares, then all of the other stresses I had around the case seemed to go away. I was always kept up to date with what was going on in our case, and he always made it very clear he was just an email or call away! In addition to these attributes, he also knows the law and is willing to fight for what is right! It would be tough to find another lawyer that is as highly effective, skilled, knowledgeable, ethical and has such an impeccable reputation (which is well deserved). I would recommend Morrow and Sheppard to anyone seeking out a law firm, in the event they needed counsel.

Nick and John are a great team. They are both honest, trustworthy and have a tenacious work ethic on behalf of their clients. They stand behind these qualities, having left partnerships at great law firms to commit 100% to achieving results for individuals and businesses. They will fight for you and I'm proud to call them clients and friends.

John and Nick are outstanding lawyers. They are both extremely sharp, skilled, hard-working, and passionate about what they do. I would highly recommend either of them to anyone looking for high-level service that also happens to be affordable.

Morrow & Sheppard LLP is an outstanding law firm. I have known Nick Morrow for many years. He is honest, hardworking, and very attentive to his clients. I could not recommend him enough for your legal needs.